When Ghosts of the Past Come Back to Haunt Us
by Cateyes224
Summary: Leonard decided it was time for Lisa to meet Sara. While there, he is confronted by someone he never thought he would see again.
1. Chapter 1

**In this story, Len and Sara have been dating. He takes Sara to meet his sister, Lisa, and while there, he meets someone from his past he never thought he would see again.**

 **I do not own any of the characters from Legends of Tomorrow, but if I could, it would definitely be Leonard Snart.**

It was time for a break. They all needed one after that last assignment. Everyone was exhausted and agreed that it was time to go back to 2016 and check in with their families. Stein went to visit his wife, Jax went to be with his mother, and Kendra went with Ray to check in with Team Arrow. Sara couldn't wait to see her dad and was the first one off the ship, but not before checking in with Len and Mick, making sure her invitation to go with them to visit Lisa was still open.

"I'll be back tomorrow. I have Lisa's address and I will meet you there at 3:00," she said over her shoulder as she went down the ramp and into the sunlight. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Mick looked at Len and sighed. "I don't know about you, but that would make for a very boring visit. Are you ready to get off this tin can, Len?"

Leonard Snart just nodded and started down the ramp.

"Think we should stop and pick up some beer on the way?" Mick suggested.

"All things considered, it may not be a bad idea. I get the feeling I may need it to get through this little family reunion." Leonard wasn't sure what to expect when Sara and Lisa finally met. Lisa was his little sister and very protective of Len. She had yet to approve of any of the women he had dated and she wasn't quiet in expressing her opinions.

Len knocked on the door and was almost knocked down when Lisa opened the door, threw her arms around him, and jumped up, throwing her legs around him like a small child. Mick stood off to the side and enjoyed the show. Lisa was almost as tall as Len, and even though Len didn't really like to be touched, Lisa was one of the exceptions that he allowed. He had practically raised her and she didn't have any qualms about showing how much she loved him.

"I missed you," she whispered into his ear. "Robbing banks just isn't the same without you." She gave him a big smile and a kiss on his cheek. "Hi Mick," she added as she finally placed her feet on the floor.

"I missed you too," he replied, trying to unwind her arms from around his neck. He wasn't sure what he had done, besides show up at her door, that would elicit such an emotional response from her. "Last time you did this, I was returning from six months in juvie."

They went inside and Len and Mick placed their bags in the spare room. They had decided they would stay there while they were in town after Lisa had begged and begged. Lisa got everyone a beer and placed them on the table near the couch in the living room. Len was definitely not ready for this. He walked into the living room and plopped down on the sofa, Mick sat at the other end of the sofa, waiting for the sparks to begin. Lisa was sitting on the arm of the chair by Len, looking terribly disappointed.

"So, where is she?" Lisa inquired, looking around. "I thought I was going to meet the woman who stole my brother's heart."

"She'll be here tomorrow around 3:00. Thought we could have some alone time and besides, she wanted to visit her family, too."

"Her dad's a cop," Mick added.

"A cop?" Lisa asked. "Are you crazy?"

"And an assassin. Well, used to be an assassin." Mick corrected himself, taking a drink of his beer and looking at Len, who was glaring at Mick. If looks could kill, he would have been dead ten times over.

"Oh great! Now if her dad doesn't kill you, she can. What happens if you two ever break up? Does she just sneak up on you in the middle of the night, or just shoot you from a distance?" Lisa didn't like her already.

Len gave her a small smile. "Don't think I haven't thought about it. And her name is Sara. Be nice tomorrow." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I like her Lisa. This could turn into something . . . well something, anyway. I really want you to like her. It would mean a lot to me."

Len opened the door to let Sara in. She noticed right away he had a beer in his hand. She knew he was a little bit worried (or nervous) about introducing the two of them to each other, but she obviously wasn't aware of just how nervous he was. She had only seen him drink seriously one before. A mission had gone south and he had blamed himself when a child died. Later that evening, she found him and Mick drinking in one of the cargo bays and when Len passed out, Mick had carried him back to his room. When she asked Mick about it the next day, he explained that Len really didn't drink. Didn't want to end up like his dad. Besides, he didn't like the loss of control. She wondered just what she was getting into.

Lisa was in the kitchen trying to sneak a peak at Sara when Len opened the door, but he was standing in the way. She walked into the living room as he was leading Sara to the couch. It only took her a second to look her over. She was pretty and blonde, wearing a short sleeved sweater that showed off her shape,and slack with flat shoes.

"Sara this is Lisa. Lisa this is Sara."

"Be nice," he whispered to Lisa as he sat down, taking a large gulp of his beer and pulling Sara down next to him.

"So, Mick tells me you used to be an assassin. What was it like getting paid to kill people?" Len groaned and took another gulp. Mick was trying hard not to giggle.

"What's it like to rob banks and steal other people's hard earned money?" Sara asked back, not flinching.

Len covered his face with his hands, thinking this was really going south. and Mick coughed, trying to cover up that he was laughing.

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Lisa smiled from ear to ear.

"Oh, Len, I like her. She's got spunk." She turned to Sara, "Why don't you help me in the kitchen. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about." And as Lisa and Sara walked into the kitchen, Len thought he heard Lisa whisper to her, "So, what's it like dating a klepto?"

Mick was laughing hysterically. He almost couldn't get the words out. "It didn't go that bad."

Len took a deep breath before he said threateningly, "Turn about is fair play. Just wait til it's your turn."

 **This is my very first fan fiction story. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think. The next chapter should be up shortly.**


	2. Chapter 2

After dinner and a quick clean up, they all went into the living room. Everything seemed to be going well and everyone was laughing. Well, almost everyone. Len wasn't exactly laughing, but he did feel relaxed.

The door bell rang and Lisa rushed up to answer it. Len took this as a hint and went into the kitchen to get another round of beers.

When she opened the door, there was a woman, around 60 or so, with short dark hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a long skirt and a sweater with long sleeves. Considering that it was warm outside, Lisa thought it was a little out of place.

"Can I help you?" Lisa asked. She was surprised when the woman spoke up quietly.

"I hope I am at the right place. I'm looking for Leonard, Leonard Snart. I understand his sister lives here?"

He was just walking out of the kitchen, beer in hand, and a slight smile on his face. Without thinking, Lisa called to him.

"Len, can you come to the door?"

As he walked to the door, he turned back to the group and reminded everyone "I'm still on vacation. Rip will just have to wait . . . ." When he got close, he turned and saw the woman standing in the doorway. Sara could see him from where she was sitting, but the door blocked the rest of her view.

She saw Len stop dead in his tracks. The look on his face turned to something like a mixture of surprise, disbelief, anger, and perhaps a bit of . . fear? The beer bottle slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. His breathing had increased to the point where Sara thought he was going to hyperventilate.

The woman looked straight into his eyes. She could never forget those eyes. "Hello Leo." As she spoke, she took a step forward and reached a hand out to him. He took a step back. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Sara got up and stood beside him. "Len, what's wrong?"

Without answering, he pushed past her and ran out the door. Sara ran after him.

"Leo, please," the woman pleaded, but he was gone.

Sadly, she turned around to look at Lisa again. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Christina Kendall. I used to be . . .Christina Snart."

Lisa took in a sharp breath and put her hand over her mouth while Mick closed the door behind her. He was the only one who seemed able to speak.

"You're . . .Len's mom?"

"I'm afraid so. I came to talk to him but . . ." she stopped and looked at the floor. Finally Lisa seemed to find her voice. It was shaky, but sincere.

"Won't you sit down?" Lisa lead her over to the couch and they both sat down.

"Thank you. You must be Lisa. I'm sorry we never got a chance to meet."

"I'm Mick. Len and I have been friends for a long time."

"I'm so glad to meet you. Good friends are hard to come by."

"I hate to be abrupt, but what are you doing here?" Mick asked. He was trying to remember what Len had said about her. He had mentioned her only a few times in all the years they had known each other, and only after he had had too much to drink.

"I guess this wasn't such a good idea after all." Christina let out a slow breath. "I still would like to talk to him. When you see him, would you tell him something for me? Would you tell him I will be staying at the Bayside? I will only be around for a short time, and I would like to see him before I go. Thank you so much for your kindness." She rose and headed for the door.

"Mrs. Kendall," Mick said, "I will tell him, but I'm not sure he wants to see you."

"Why did you come back? After all this time, why now?" Lisa asked.

"Just tell him for me. Please."

* * *

With his longer legs, Len was able to run and get a good lead on Sara. He didn't know where he was going. He just knew he had to run, get away, before . . .before what? Before he said something that he would regret? Before he punched someone? Before he slammed the door in her face? Before he let his emotions show how hurt he was? Before he . . .

He didn't know how long he had been running, but he finally had to stop. He was out of steam and out of breath. He fell down on his knees, closed his eyes, and tried to get himself under control.

Sara finally caught up to him. She stopped a short distance away and called out to him.

"Len, are you alright? It's Sara. Len talk to me. Please!" When he didn't answer, she continued taking a few more steps. When she was close enough to see his face in the moonlight, she was shocked. Here was the man that prided himself on his self control and ability not to show his emotions to anyone, on the ground, looking like he wanted to die. His head was tilted back and there were tears streaming down his face.

Sara reached out a hand and touched him on the shoulder. Len flinched and quickly turned away from her, wiping his face and trying hard to cover up what she had already seen.

"Let me help you," she whispered.

"Go away," he demanded.

"No," she answered quietly.

"GO AWAY!" he screamed at her.

"No," she whispered again. She moved in front of him and brought herself down to his level. "I am not leaving. You can yell, scream, threaten, hell - you can punch me if you want, but I am not leaving." Sarah cupped his face in her hands, forced his face in her direction, and looked him straight in the eyes. "I . .am . .not . .leaving . .you. You got that?"

Len sniffed and finally said the first words that made sense to her. "Got it."

"Let's get out of here," Sara suggested, and grabbing his hand, she helped him to stand up. "Want to go back to the ship or somewhere else?"

Len thought about it for a minute. Everyone was gone visiting family or friends and that meant that the ship would be empty. "Let's go back to the ship. I don't want to face anyone right now."

Sara held onto his hand and together they walked back to the ship.


	3. Chapter 3

"You want to go looking for him?" Mick asked.

"I wouldn't know where to start. You know Len, he can disappear when he wants to." Lisa was starting to pick up the pieces of the bottle that had broken on the floor.

"Ya I know. He's pulled this off a couple of times before. Look, if he's not back by morning, I have a few ideas of where to start looking. Maybe he'll come back on his own." Mick sounded more like he was trying to convince himself rather than her.

"I wouldn't hold my breath. Did you see the look on his face? The way he ran out? I wish I knew more about her. I thought she was dead. At least that's the impression he always gave me."

"She's not your mother, then." Mick was trying hard to understand what was going on.

"No. My mother died when I was two. I'll get us something to drink and tell you what I know. Sounds like it's going to be a long night." And with that, she disappeared into the kitchen.

* * *

Len and Sara were sitting across from each other in the galley of the Waverider. She had just placed two cups of coffee on the table, pushing one toward him. Len was quiet, not saying anything, and Sara was trying to ignore the fact that he wouldn't answer any of her questions.

"Talk to me, Len. Say something, anything. I'm kind of lost here. Who was that woman that showed up at Lisa's? Help me out here, please!" Sara pleaded.

Len got up from the table and turned his back to her. He couldn't look her in the face. After a couple of minutes, he took a deep breath and finally gave in.

"She's my mother."

"Your mother?" Sara gasped. I thought she was dead."

"So did I. Or at least that's what I told myself."

"You weren't sure? I mean, you didn't have a funeral or anything?" After she said it, it sounded so stupid.

Len gave a small chuckle. "I mean I came home from school one day and all her things were gone. She "went out for a pack of cigarettes" and never came back. I never saw her again until tonight."

"How old were you?" Sara was trying hard to understand, to offer him some comfort, but he wouldn't have any of it.

"Look, this has been a really long night. Can we talk about this later? I'm really not in the mood." He turned toward the door and took a couple of steps. He stopped, and without turning around to her, whispered "Thanks" and left the galley.

Sarah picked up the cups and rinsed them out in the sink. She hadn't realized until now just how tired she was and headed towards her room. As she got near, she started to hear a lot of loud banging coming from one of the rooms. She took off at a run and stopped when she got in front of Len's room.

"Len!" Sara pleaded. "Let me in!" When she didn't get any response she called the AI. "Gideon, open Leonard's door.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Miss Lance."

"Is he alright? Gideon, open the god damned door!"

The door slipped open almost soundlessly. The sight was enough to scare her.

"Oh, Len!" She whispered. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head down, and his fingers rubbing his temples. The room looked like a tornado hit it. Everything looked like it had been either tossed or smashed.

She quietly and calmly walked over and sat beside him.

His words started to come out fast and jumbled. "I don't know . . .I don't know why. I . . .I need to leave."

"I know what you need." Sara pulled the covers back on the bed, pushed him down onto the pillow and laid down next to him. She put her arms around him and held him until they fell asleep. _I am not leaving you._

Sara woke up to the sound of someone walking down the hall. Len was still asleep. She wasn't worried about anyone finding them together, but she was worried that there was anyone on the ship at all. She untangled herself from his arms and walked quietly to the door. When she saw it was Mick, she raised her finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her down the hall. Sara fixed them both a cup of coffee.

"Well?" Mick asked.

"Well what?" She asked back.

"Are you going to tell me what happened? Why does his room look like a typhoon took up residence?"

Sara tried to lighten the mood. "He's trying to redecorate?"

"Very funny. Look, I need to talk to him when he gets up."

"About his mom? I'm not sure he'll be any more in the mood to talk about her today than he was last night."

"She wanted me to give him a message."

A familiar voice, sounding tired, spoke up. "Not interested."

He walked in and took the coffee cup from Sara, took a sip, and sat down.

"Look, I said I would give you the message when I saw you. What you do with it after that is up to you."

"Still not interested."

Mick ignored his comment. "She says she's staying at the Bayside. She's only gonna be around for a short time and wants to see you before she leaves."

"Again? She should be pretty good at this by now."

Sara had been listening to the conversation and had just about all she could take. She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. "Look, it sounds to me like she's trying to make amends. Go talk to her. If you don't, you'll regret it the rest of your life. Who knows, maybe you'll get some answers."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He closed his eyes and hoped he wasn't making the worst mistake of his life. "All right. But I won't guarantee anything."

"I'll call Lisa and let her know I found you. Want to meet Christina at Lisa's? You can't meet with her on the ship."

"Try to set it up for tomorrow if you can. I want to get this over with."

Mick just nodded and walked out. As he was leaving, he heard Len mutter under his breath,"I regret this already."

* * *

He stood outside Lisa's door, trying to get up the courage to go in. He knew Christina was inside, waiting to talk to him. He kept telling himself it was a big mistake. He had gone all this time without her, so why now? Why did she have to show up now? Couldn't she just stay a part of his past that he had pushed away, tucked under a memory that he had tried to forget?

Then he remembered what Sara said about regretting it for the rest of his life. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he turned the handle and opened the door.

There she was. The woman from the other night. Sitting on the couch, drinking coffee with Lisa. Lisa jumped up and met him at the door. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," was all he could manage to get out. His throat was dry and his heart was beating faster then he wanted it to. He stepped around her and approached the couch, stopping a few steps away. Lisa wasn't sure just what her position should be in all this, so she just quietly walked to her room and closed the door.

Neither one of them noticed. They stared at each other for a few seconds and then Christina stood up and reached out a hand to Len. He ignored it and sat down on a chair that was the farthest away from her as he could get and still be in the same room.

"Hello Leo," she said quietly. "It took me a while to find you. You're not exactly in the phone book. I had to contact some of your dad's old pals to see if any of them could help me."

"Cut the crap." He couldn't sit and got up to pace. "Okay, I'm here. What do you want?"

"That's no way to talk to your mother." It didn't come out like she wanted it to, but she had been caught off guard by his remark.

He stopped in his tracks, turned and looked at her with fury on his face. " **MY MOTHER!?** ' What do you know about being a mother? A mother takes care of her children, she doesn't just abandon them when the going gets rough!"

"I came to explain about that. I _need_ to explain that." Christina took a deep breath and decided now was the time to say what she had been wanting to say for over 30 years. "I know I don't deserve it, but I'm asking for your forgiveness."

Leonard let out a pained chuckle. "FORGIVENESS?! You're crazier than I remember."

Christina walked up to Leonard and put her hand on his arm. He yanked his arm back and wrapped both arms around himself. He turned and started for the door, then stopped when he heard her say, "I didn't abandon you."

He looked back at her. "You didn't? What do they call it when you just leave? When you don't tell anyone where you're going? When you don't come back?"

"Do you know how it felt to come home from school and find your mother has packed up and left?" He remembered it like it was yesterday. "I remember waiting for you to return, making up reasons in my head and listening to Lewis tell me it was all my fault."

"I'm sorry Leo." She was trying to keep her voice low and even. Trying not to cry, to scream, trying not to let him know how much his words were killing her.

"Don't call me Leo. You and Lewis were the only ones to call me Leo. He's dead and so are you. At least that's what I told myself in order to make sense of this mess." He went back to pacing the floor.

"I didn't abandon you. I want you to know that." She was pleading now, wanting him to understand. "You know how he was. He was abusive. To you. To me. I just couldn't take it any more." She started to cry.

By this time he was almost yelling. "You left me there. With **HIM**! How can you justify that?"

"I always meant to come back for you. You must know that. I **ALWAYS** meant to come back for you." She was pleading again.

He looked her straight in the face. His face was just a few inches from hers, his voice was low and accusing. "But you didn't, did you?"

"You don't understand. When I left I had no money, no job, no place to live. I couldn't ask you to live like that."

"No, but you asked me to live like this!" And with that, he lifted up his shirt and showed her the scar that ran across his stomach. Christina closed her eyes, the sight almost made her sick. "I didn't know. You have to understand that I didn't know it had gotten that far. I knew he was angry, but I didn't know he was dangerous. I just knew I couldn't stay. I had to get out."

"Well you got out, all right. You got out and you never came back."

"When I first left, I was living on the streets. After a while, I was living in shelter. At least I thought that if you were living with your dad you had a decent place to live and food on the table. I knew social services wouldn't let you stay with me. He could give you things I just couldn't.

"Like what? Love? Does this look like love to you? I hated you for so many years after you left. I kept asking myself what did I do? What made you stop loving me and just leave?" He paused and tried to pull himself together. "After a while, I just stopped asking."

"Please Leo, I was young. I didn't know what to do. I could barely take care of myself."

"I was a child," he whispered, tears running down his face. "You were my mother and you just . . . .left me there."

He wiped the tears from his face and took a couple of deep breaths. He had pretty much said all that he had been holding back all these years. Now he had one last question. "Why now? Why are you here?"

She tried to change the subject. "I understand he remarried a few years after I left."

"Yea, she died a couple of years later. That's how I got Lisa. For all intents and purposes, I raised her. Lewis spent some time in Iron Heights, and when he got back, he was worse than ever. Guess his time in prison didn't do anything for his temperament."

Christina looked down the hall at the door to Lisa's room. "I'm so glad she had you to watch over her."

"And who watched over me?" he demanded. "Look, I don't know why you felt you had to come back. If you're looking for absolution, forgiveness, or whatever, I'm all out."

Len grabbed the door handle, pulled on the door and had taken a step, before he heard her say quietly "I have cancer."

He turned back and slammed the door shut. "And your're telling me this because?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you before it was too late. Because I wanted to say I'm sorry. Because I wanted to explain to you why I left. Because I want you to understand."

"Talk to someone who cares." And with that he went out the door.

* * *

Author's notes:

After reading the _Legends of Tomorrow_ fan fiction, I began to notice that very few people ever wrote about Leonard's mother. I don't remember her being mentioned on _The Flash_ or _Legends of Tomorrow_ , but his dad was mentioned often. That made me wonder what had happened to her. This story was whirling around in my head, long before I got up the courage to write it down. This is just my spin on his possible history with her.

I would like to thank the readers who left reviews for me. They are greatly appreciated. The comments are encouraging for a first time author.


	4. Chapter 4

Lisa heard the door slam and came out of her room. She had heard most of the conversation.

Christina was trying to pull herself together before she embarrassed herself any more than she already had. "I'm really glad he has you to look after him."

Lisa wasn't sure what to say to her. "I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you hoped they would, but you hurt him like no other I know. Lewis hurt him physically, but you . . .you broke his heart, so bad in fact, that he found it hard to let anyone else in. He never wanted to be hurt like that again."

"I don't really know _what_ I expected. I know saying I'm sorry is not enough. But I'm running out of time. I needed to talk to him before . . ." she just let the rest of it drop.

"Before what?" Lisa asked quietly.

"Before I die. I only have a couple of months and I'm trying to make amends before it's too late."

"I'm afraid, for Len, it was too late a long time ago. Maybe when he calms down, he'll change his mind and . . . try again?"

"Thank you Lisa. Here is my phone number and where I am staying. Give it to Leo for me? I can let myself out." And she walked slowly out the door.

* * *

It took Len three hours to walk back to the ship. He had a lot of thinking to do and he just couldn't face anyone right now. He was mad and angry and hurt. But he did get to say the things he had always wanted to say to her. She had hurt him and he had wanted to hurt her back.

When he got to the ship, he walked in quietly, not wanting to face anyone or answer any questions. He wanted to hide in his room and think. But Sara was waiting for him.

"How did it go?" she asked, but the look on his face said a lot. He didn't answer, only held up his hand in a "not now" gesture and kept walking.

Sara went to his door, but couldn't bring herself to knock. She decided to find out how he was by asking the one person who knew everything that went on on the ship: Gideon.

"Gideon?" she whispered from the galley.

"Yes Miss Lance?" the AI asked back.

"Is Snart in his quarters?"

"Yes, Miss Lance."

"Is he all right?"

"Define all right?"

"Does he seem to be upset, or . . .or anything?" Defining all right was not as easy as she had thought it would be.

"Mr. Snart's blood pressure is high, his breathing is rapid, and his heart rate is above normal. I would assume that's not all right."

"Gideon, let me know if Snart leaves the ship, or if his vitals show distress, or you believe he needs help in any way. I will be here all night."

"Yes Miss Lance. I will keep track of him for you."

"Thank you Gideon"

* * *

The next day Len did not come out of his room. Sara knocked, but he didn't acknowledge her. After checking in with Gideon, Sara decided she should go and have a talk with Christina. She didn't want to choose sides, but Christina had hurt him terribly and she needed answers so she could deal with him. They talked for two hours. She never told anyone that she went, especially Len.

Two days later, vacation time was up, and it was time for everyone to return to the ship. Little by little everyone started showing up and exchanging stories about what they did with their time off. Len tried to stay in his room as much as he could. At first, no one really paid attention because he really didn't socialize that much anyway. It wasn't until they had a meeting about their next mission, that people began to realize that _something_ was off.

He was the last one to show up and sat in the back of the conference room. Sara noticed that he was having a hard time paying attention, although he was trying very hard to cover it up. "Mr. Snart," Rip said. "Are you listening?"

"Yea, let's just get this bucket of bolts out of here!" he answered sharply. Mick tried to talk to him and when he touched his arm, he pushed it off and walked out.

Everyone saw what happened, but Ray was the only one who spoke up. "Does he seem more rude than normal? I mean he is normally rude to me, but - "

"He's fine." Mick interrupted. "Just give him some space, okay?"

The rest of the team just seemed to accept what Mick had said and went on with their duties. Sara caught Rip outside his office and pointed her head toward the opening. "We need to talk."

Rip sat down at his desk while Sara stayed standing. "He may not ever talk to me again, but Len needs to be off this mission. He won't be able to focus, and I don't want anyone, including him, hurt because his mind is not where it should be."

"He seemed to be a little off, but we need everyone for this mission. Is there anything I should know?"

Sara wasn't sure how much she should say. It wasn't anyone's business what had happened over the last few days, but the safety of the team was at risk. "Let's just say he's had a very intense few days and he's probably not able to give the mission his full attention."

"Do I need to talk to him? Would he tell me if I asked him?"

"Probably not. But I do need to ask a favor, with no questions asked."

"What's the favor?"

"I left a communications device behind, in case someone needs to get in tough with us. I gave Lisa a way to contact the ship. It's important."

"Alright. But can you tell me what's going on when this is all done?"

"I hope so. Thanks."

* * *

They went on their mission, but it took longer than Sara had hoped. They had been gone for several weeks because one jump lead to another as they chased Savage. Then Ray had gotten injured and they couldn't jump until he was healed up, and she was getting nervous. Snart pretty much stayed away from everyone, even her and Mick, but he was able to do his job. Then came the day when Rip pulled her aside.

"The call came through. I talked to Lisa. Do you want me to tell him or do you? I can do it if you want me to."

"No, just ask Mick to meet me in the cargo bay in a few minutes. I want to tell him before I talk to Len. I don't know how he is going to take it and I may need some back up." She slowly walked away, wondering how everything had gotten so messed up.

Sara was already in the cargo bay when Mick walked in. After noticing that they were the only two there, he knew something was up.

"Okay, I'm here. What's going on?"

At first Sarah couldn't find the words. Then she just decided to blurt it out. "Len's mother died. This morning. Lisa sent a message and I don't know how to tell him."

"You want me to tell him?" Mick offered. "I've known him a long time. I can't predict what he will do. He may shrug it off or . . .I just don't know."

"Maybe we can do it together."

Everyone was in the galley, including Snart. Sara and Mick walked in together and tried to get his attention without alerting any of the others. Mick stayed by the door while Sara stood behind his chair and whispered into his ear. "Can I see you outside? It's important."

He got up slowly, looking at her suspiciously. "What's going on?" The others heard and quieted down. Sara had wanted to handle this quietly and tried to steer him toward the door. "I don't think this is the place to discuss this."

"We're supposed to be a team remember. We don't have secrets." She was getting the idea that he was purposely trying to make this difficult.

"All right, if that's how you want it. Christina died this morning."

"Like I told her. Talk to someone who cares," and he turned and left, leaving the others in confusion.

"Who's Christina?" Stein asked.

Sara didn't answer, but Mick did. "His mother."

That left them all speechless. That is until Ray broke the silence. "I didn't know he had a mother. I mean we all have a mother, but I didn't know his mother was alive, not that she is any more."

"He took her death very . . . calmly. I take it they were not close, " Stein said.

Before anyone else could comment, Rip joined them. "We will be going back to 2016. Will Mr. Snart be attending the funeral?"

"I'm not sure. Let's just say they were estranged," Sara said, "But to honor a member of our team and my friend, I will be attending, as well as Mick."

Sara looked at the others in the room. Stein stood up and after looking at his team mates, he announced, "Mr. Snart may be a pain in the ass, but he is a member of this team. We would be privileged to attend his mother's funeral."

"Thank you all. It means a lot to me and I know it will mean a lot to him also. Even though he may not show it. You know how tight he is with his feelings. I will let you know about the arrangements as soon as I know."

* * *

Christina had requested only a grave site ceremony. It was a very small group. Only three people besides the team from the Waverider and Lisa. Len was noticeably absent.

Lisa whispered to Sara before the ceremony started. "I at least thought he would be here."

Sara looked around before she commented. Sure enough, behind them, up on the hill, she could see the outline of a man. "He's here."

The ceremony didn't take very long and then everyone left. When Sara looked back over her shoulder, he was gone. Lisa was having everyone from the Waverider over to her house for dinner. Sara started to leave, but changed her mind at the last minute. She walked toward the drive and sat , hiding, down beside a tall statue and waited. She only had to wait an hour before the man from the hill walked down, a bouquet of loose flowers in his hand.

Len stood in front of the grave. Sara thought she should go over and say something, but she didn't. She watched as his tears started to fall. He bent down and placed the flowers on the ground. He wiped his face and then said the words he never thought he would say again. "I love you. Good bye Mama."

* * *

After the team returned from Lisa's, most of them turned in for the night. As Mick passed Len's room, he stopped and almost knocked. But he reconsidered and just left. He continued on to the galley to pick up something to drink. There he found Sarah and Snart. Sarah was sitting in a chair, mostly sober, but Snart was passed out. Mick started to say something, but Sara hushed him. "He came back here after the funeral," she whispered. "I couldn't just let him drink alone. Care to help me get him back to his room?"

Mick just nodded and hoisted Len up and over his shoulder, not for the first time, and probably not the last. They laid him softly on his bed and Sara kissed him on the forehead. "He was there, you know. At the cemetery. He watched the whole thing."

"I know. I saw him on the hill. As much as he likes to hide his emotions, I just don't think he could bring himself to say good bye. He told me he didn't care, but I didn't buy that for one minute. Come on, let's get out of here and get some sleep. We'll need it to deal with him tomorrow. He's grouchy when he has a handover."

Sara chuckled and set a bottle of aspirin next to the bed. After the last few weeks they'd had, grouchy was going to be a breeze.


End file.
